Bristol's prosperity has been linked with the sea since its earliest days. At the turn of the 15th and 16th century, it was the base for voyages of exploration to the New World: on a ship out of Bristol, John Cabot was the first European to land at North America in 1497 (since the Vikings 500 years before); and William Weston, a Bristol merchant, was the first Englishman to lead an exploration to North America, in 1499. The Port of Bristol was originally in the city centre before commercial shipping moved from Bristol Harbour to the Severn Estuary at Avonmouth. Royal Portbury Dock is on the western edge of the city. Its economy has recently depended on the creative-media, electronics and aerospace industries, and the city-centre docks have been redeveloped as centres of heritage and culture.[10] The city has two universities and a variety of artistic and sporting organisations and venues. In 2005, Bristol was named one of England's six science cities. It is connected with the surrounding region and the rest of the country by road and rail, including the M5 and M4 (which connect to the city centre by the M32 motorway and Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway railway stations). Bristol, which was named England's first cycling city in 2008, won the European Green Capital Award in 2015.

The town of Brycgstow (Old English "the place at the bridge")[17] appears to have been founded by 1000; by about 1020, it was a trading centre with a mint producing silver pennies bearing its name.[18] By 1067 Brycgstow was a well-fortified burh, capable of resisting an invasion sent from Ireland by Harold Godwinson's sons.[18] Under Norman rule, the town had one of the strongest castles in southern England.[19]

The port began to develop in the 11th century around the confluence of the Rivers Frome and Avon, adjacent to the original Bristol Bridge and just outside the town walls.[20] By the 12th century Bristol was an important port, handling much of England's trade with Ireland (including slaves). In 1247 a stone bridge was built, which was replaced by the current Bristol Bridge during the 1760s;[21] the town incorporated neighbouring suburbs, becoming a county in 1373.[22][23] During this period, Bristol became a shipbuilding and manufacturing centre.[24] By the 14th century Bristol, York and Norwich were England's three largest medieval towns after London, but one-third to one-half the population died in the Black Death of 1348–49.[25] This checked population growth, and Bristol's population remained between 10,000 and 12,000 for most of the 15th and 16th centuries.[26]

During the 15th century Bristol was the second-most-important port in the country, trading with Ireland,[27] Iceland[28] and Gascony.[24] It was the starting point for many voyages, including Robert Sturmy's (1457–58) unsuccessful attempt to break up the Italian monopoly of Eastern Mediterranean trade.[29] Bristol merchants then turned west, launching voyages of exploration into the Atlantic by 1480 in search of the phantom island of Hy-Brazil. These Atlantic voyages, also aimed at China, culminated in Venetian John Cabot's 1497 exploration of North America and subsequent expeditions to the New World, underwritten by Bristol merchants and King Henry VII until 1508.[30][31] A 1499 voyage, led by merchant William Weston of Bristol, was the first English-led expedition to North America.[32]

During the sixteenth century, Bristol merchants concentrated on developing trade with Spain and its American colonies.[33] This included the smuggling of prohibited goods, such as food and guns, to Iberia[34] during the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604).[35] Bristol's illicit trade grew enormously after 1558, becoming integral to its economy.[36]

Renewed growth came with the 17th century rise of England's American colonies and the rapid 18th century expansion of England's role in the Atlantic trade of Africans taken for slavery to the Americas. Bristol and Liverpool became centres of the triangular trade. In the first side of the slavery triangle, manufactured goods were shipped to West Africa and exchanged for Africans; the enslaved captives were transported across the Atlantic to the Americas in the Middle Passage under brutal conditions.[41] In the third side of the triangle, plantation goods such as sugar, tobacco, rum, rice, cotton and a small number of slaves (sold to the aristocracy as house servants) returned across the Atlantic.[41] Some household slaves eventually purchased their freedom in England.[42] During the height of the Bristol slave trade from 1700 to 1807, more than 2,000 slave ships carried a conservatively-estimated 500,000 people from Africa to slavery in the Americas.[43] The Seven Starspublic house,[44] where abolitionistThomas Clarkson collected information on the slave trade, is still operating. .

An 1873 engraving of sights around Bristol

Fishermen from Bristol (who had fished the Grand Banks of Newfoundland since the 15th century)[45] began settling Newfoundland permanently in larger numbers during the 17th century, establishing colonies at Bristol's Hope and Cuper's Cove. Because of Bristol's nautical environment, maritime safety was an important issue in the city. During the 19th century, Samuel Plimsoll (known as "the sailor's friend") campaigned to make the seas safer; shocked by overloaded vessels, he successfully fought for a compulsory load line on ships.[46]

In 1901 Bristol's population was about 330,000, and the city would grow steadily during the century. Its docklands were enhanced during the early 1900s by the Royal Edward Dock.[51] Another new dock, the Royal Portbury Dock, opened during the 1970s.[52] With the advent of air travel, aircraft manufacturers built new factories in the city during the first half of the century.[53]

Bristol was heavily damaged by Luftwaffe raids during World War II; about 1,300 people living or working in the city were killed and nearly 100,000 buildings were damaged, at least 3,000 beyond repair.[57][58] The original central market area, near the bridge and castle, is now a park containing two bombed churches and fragments of the castle. A third bomb-damaged church nearby, St Nicholas, has been restored and is a museum housing a 1756 William Hogarthtriptych painted for the high altar of St Mary Redcliffe. The museum also has statues of King Edward I (moved from Arno's Court Triumphal Arch), King Edward III (taken from Lawfords' Gate in the city walls when they were demolished about 1760) and 13th century statues of Robert (builder of Bristol Castle) and Geoffrey de Montbray (who built the city's walls) from Bristol's Newgate.[59]

The 20th century relocation of the docks to Avonmouth Docks and Royal Portbury Dock, 7 miles (11 km) downstream from the city centre, has allowed the redevelopment of the old dock area (the Floating Harbour). Although the docks' existence was once in jeopardy (since the area was seen as a derelict industrial site), the inaugural 1996 International Festival of the Sea held in and around the docks affirmed the area as a leisure asset of the city.[61]

In sport, the Bristol Rugby club has often competed at the highest level of the sport since its formation in 1888.[62] The club played at the Memorial Ground, which it shared with Bristol Rovers F.C. since 1996. Although Bristol Rugby owned the stadium when the football club arrived, a decline in the rugby club's fortunes led to a transfer of ownership to Bristol Rovers. The Rovers had spent the previous 10 years playing their home games outside the city after the 1986 closure of their Eastville stadium.[63] In 2014 Bristol Rugby moved to their new home, Ashton Gate Stadium (home to Bristol Rovers rivals Bristol City F.C.), for the 2014–15 season.

Bristol Rovers have generally been overshadowed by Bristol City. City's first season in the Football League First Division was in 1906, when it finished second. City lost the 1909 FA Cup Final, and was relegated to the Football League Second Division two years later; they did not win promotion back to First Division until 1976. They were again relegated in 1980, the first of three successive relegations which dropped the club into the Fourth Division in 1982. Although they were promoted in 1984, City were in the league's third tier until 2007. They were then promoted to Second Division, regaining First Division in 2013. Since 1900 City's home games have been played at Ashton Gate,[64] although plans have been suggested to move the club to a new, larger stadium.[65]

The Bristol City Council consists of 70 councillors, representing 35 wards. They are elected in thirds, with two councillors per ward serving four-year terms. Since wards do not have both councillors up for election at the same time, two-thirds of the wards participate in each election.[66] Although the council was long dominated by the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats have grown strong in the city and (as the largest party) took minority control of the council after the 2005 election. In 2007, Labour and the Conservatives united to defeat the Liberal Democratic administration; Labour ruled the council under a minority administration, with Helen Holland as council leader.[67] In February 2009, the Labour group resigned and the Liberal Democrats took office with a minority administration.[68] At 4 June 2009 council elections the Liberal Democrats gained four seats and, for the first time, overall control of the city council.[69] The most recent city-council election was in May 2014.

On 3 May 2012, Bristol held a referendum on the question of a directly-elected mayor replacing one elected by the council. The results, announced the following day, were 41,032 votes for direct election and 35,880 votes against with a 24% turnout. An election for the new post was held on 15 November 2012, with Independent candidate George Ferguson becoming Mayor of Bristol.[70]

The Lord Mayor of Bristol, not to be confused with the Mayor of Bristol, is a figurehead elected each May by the city council. Councillor Faruk Choudhury was selected by his fellow councillors for the position in 2013. At age 38, he was the youngest person to serve as Lord Mayor of Bristol and the first Muslim elected to the office.[71]

Bristol constituencies in the House of Commons crossed borders with neighbouring municipalities until, after the 2010 general election, their boundaries coincided with the county boundary. The city is divided into Bristol West, East, South and North West. After the 2015 election the city had three Labour members of parliament (MPs) and one Conservative.

Bristol is unusual in becoming a city and a county when Edward III granted it a county charter in 1373. The county was expanded to include suburbs such as Clifton in 1835, and it was named a county borough in 1889 when that designation originated.[23] On 1 April 1974, Bristol became a local-government district of the short-lived county of Avon.[78] The city regained its independence and county status on 1 April 1996, when the county of Avon was abolished and Bristol became a unitary authority.[79]

Bristol is part of a limestone area running from the Mendip Hills in the south to the Cotswolds in the northeast.[86] The rivers Avon and Frome cut through the limestone to the underlying clay, creating Bristol's characteristically hilly landscape. The Avon flows from Bath in the east, through flood plains and areas which were marshes before the city's growth. To the west the Avon cuts through the limestone to form the Avon Gorge, aided by glacial meltwater after the last ice age.[87] The gorge, which helped protect Bristol Harbour, has been quarried for stone to build the city and its surrounding land has been protected from development as The Downs and Leigh Woods. The Avon estuary and the gorge are the county boundary with North Somerset, and the river flows into the Severn Estuary at Avonmouth. Another gorge, cut by the Hazel Brook (which flows into the River Trym), crosses the Blaise Castle estate in northern Bristol.[87]

Located in southern England, Bristol is one of the warmest cities in the UK with a mean annual temperature of 10.2–12 °C (50.4–53.6 °F).[88] It is among the sunniest, with 1,541–1,885 hours of sunshine per year.[89] Although the city is partially sheltered by the Mendip Hills, it is exposed to the Severn Estuary and the Bristol Channel. Annual rainfall increases from north to south, with totals north of the Avon in the 600–900 mm (24–35 in) range and 900–1,200 mm (35–47 in) south of the river.[90] Rain is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, with autumn and winter the wetter seasons. The Atlantic Ocean influences Bristol's weather, keeping its average temperature above freezing throughout the year, but winter frosts are frequent and snow occasionally falls from early November to late April. Summers are warm and drier, with variable sunshine, rain and clouds, and spring weather is unsettled.[91]

The weather stations nearest Bristol for which long-term climate data are available are Long Ashton (about 5 miles (8 km) southwest of the city centre) and Bristol Weather Station, in the city centre. Data collection at these locations ended in 2002 and 2001, respectively, and Filton Airfield is currently the nearest weather station to the city.[92] Temperatures at Long Ashton from 1959 to 2002 ranged from 33.5 °C (92.3 °F) in July 1976[93] to −14.4 °C (6.1 °F) in January 1982.[94] Monthly high temperatures since 2002 at Filton exceeding those recorded at Long Ashton include 25.7 °C (78.3 °F) in April 2003,[95] 34.5 °C (94.1 °F) in July 2006[96] and 26.8 °C (80.2 °F) in October 2011.[97] The lowest recent temperature at Filton was −10.1 °C (13.8 °F) in December 2010.[98] Although large cities experience an urban heat island effect, with warmer temperatures than their surrounding rural areas, this phenomenon is minimal in Bristol.[99]

In 2008 the Office for National Statistics estimated the Bristol unitary authority's population at 416,900,[112][113] making it the 47th-largestceremonial county in England.[114] The ONS, using Census 2001 data, estimated the city's population at 441,556[115] and that of the contiguous urban area at 551,066.[116] In 2006 the ONS estimated Bristol's urban-area population at 587,400,[117] making it England's sixth-most-populous city and ninth-most-populous urban area.[116] At 3,599 inhabitants per square kilometre (9,321/sq mi) it has the seventh-highest population density of any English district.[118]

According to the 2011 census, 84% of the population was White (77.9% White British, 0.9% White Irish, 0.1% Gypsy or Irish Travellers and 5.1% Other White); 3.6% mixed-race (1.7% white-and-black Caribbean, 0.4% white-and-black African, 0.8% white and Asian and 0.7% other mixed); 5.5% Asian (1.5% Indian, 1.6% Pakistani, 0.5% Bangladeshi, 0.9% Chinese and one percent other Asian); six percent Black (2.8% African, 1.6% Caribbean, 1.6% Other Black), 0.3% Arab and 0.6% with other heritage. Bristol is unusual among major British towns and cities in its larger black than Asian population.[119] These statistics apply to the Bristol Unitary Authority, excluding areas of the urban area (2006 estimated population 587,400) in South Gloucestershire, BANES or North Somerset—such as Kingswood, Mangotsfield, Filton and Warmley—bordering the city.[109]

Two of the four Nails (bronze tables used for conducting business) in Corn Street

Bristol has a long history of trade, originally exporting wool cloth and importing fish, wine, grain and dairy products;[120] later imports were tobacco, tropical fruits and plantation goods. Major imports are motor vehicles, grain, timber, produce and petroleum products. Since the 13th century, the rivers have been modified for docks; during the 1240s, the Frome was diverted into a deep, man-made channel (known as Saint Augustine's Reach) which flowed into the River Avon.[121][122] Ships regularly departed Bristol for Iceland as early as 1420, and speculation exists that sailors from Bristol made landfall in the Americas before Christopher Columbus or John Cabot.[20] Beginning in the early 1480s, the Bristol Society of Merchant Venturers sponsored exploration of the north Atlantic in search of trading opportunities.[20] In 1552, Edward VI granted a royal charter to the Merchant Venturers to manage the port. By 1670 the city had 6,000 tons of shipping (of which half was imported tobacco), and by the late 17th and early 18th centuries shipping played a significant role in the slave trade.[20] During the 18th century, Bristol was Britain's second-busiest port;[123] business was conducted in the trading area around The Exchange in Corn Street over bronze tables known as Nails. Although the Nails are cited as originating the phrase "cash on the nail" (immediate payment), the phrase was probably in use before their installation.[124]

In 2004, Bristol's gross domestic product was £9.439 billion. Its per capita GDP was £23,962 ($47,738, €35,124)—higher than the UK as a whole, 40% above the national average, the third-highest of any English city (after London and Nottingham) and the fifth-highest of any city in the United Kingdom (behind London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast and Nottingham).[127] Bristol's March 2007 unemployment rate was 4.8%, compared with four percent for South West England and the national average of 5.5%.[128]

Although Bristol's economy no longer relies upon its port, which was moved to docks at Avonmouth during the 1870s[129] and to the Royal Portbury Dock in 1977 as ship size increased, it is the largest importer of cars to the UK. Until 1991, the port was publicly owned; it is leased, with £330 million invested and its annual tonnage increasing from 3.9 million long tons (4 million tonnes) to 11.8 million (12 million).[130] Tobacco importing and cigarette manufacturing have ceased, but the importation of wine and spirits continues.[131]

The financial-service sector employs 59,000 in the city,[132] and 50 micro-electronics and silicon design companies employ about 5,000. In 1983, Hewlett-Packard opened its national research laboratory in Bristol.[133][134] As the UK's seventh-most-popular destination for foreign tourists, the city has nine million visitors annually.[135]

During the 20th century, Bristol's manufacturing activities expanded to include aircraft production at Filton by the Bristol Aeroplane Company and aircraft-engine manufacturing by Bristol Aero Engines (later Rolls-Royce) at Patchway. Bristol Aeroplane was known for their World War I Bristol Fighter[136] and World War II Blenheim and Beaufighter planes.[136] During the 1950s they were a major English manufacturer of civilian aircraft, known for the Freighter, Britannia and Brabazon. The company diversified into automobile manufacturing during the 1940s, producing hand-built, luxuryBristol Cars at their factory in Filton, and the Bristol Cars company was spun off in 1960.[137] The city also gave its name to Bristol buses, which were manufactured in the city from 1908 to 1983: by Bristol Tramways until 1955, and from 1955 to 1983 by Bristol Commercial Vehicles.

Final Concorde flight on 26 November 2003, shortly before landing on the Filton runway from which it first flew in 1969

Filton played a key role in the Anglo-French Concorde supersonic airliner project during the 1960s. The Bristol Aeroplane Company became part of the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC); Concorde components were manufactured in British and French factories and shipped to final-assembly plants in Toulouse and Filton. The French manufactured the centre fuselage and centre wing, and the British manufactured the nose, rear fuselage, fin and wingtips; manufacture of its Olympus 593 engine was divided between Rolls-Royce (Filton) and Snecma (Paris). The British Concorde prototype made its maiden flight from Filton to RAF Fairford on 9 April 1969, five weeks after the French test flight.[138] In 2003 British Airways and Air France decided to discontinue Concorde flights, retiring the aircraft to locations (primarily museums) worldwide. On 26 November 2003 Concorde 216 made the final Concorde flight, returning to Bristol Filton Airport as the centrepiece of a proposed air museum which is planned to include the existing Bristol Aero collection (including a Bristol Britannia).[139]

Outside the city centre are several Tudor and later mansions built for wealthy merchants.[199] The 18th century Kings Weston House, in northern Bristol, was designed by John Vanbrugh and is the only Vanbrugh building in any UK city outside London. Almshouses[200] and pubs from the same period[201] intermingle with modern development. Several Georgian-erasquares were designed for the middle class as prosperity increased during the 18th century.[202]

Bristol Rovers, the oldest professional football team in the city and most recent new League Club in England were formed in 1883. They were third-tier champions twice (Division Three South in 1952–53 and Division Three in 1989–90), Watney Cup Winners (1972 and 2006–07) and runners-up for the Johnstone's Paint Trophy although have never played in England's top Division. The club has planning permission for a new 21,700-capacity all-seater stadium at the University of the West of England's Frenchay campus. Although construction was due to begin in summer 2014, as of March 2015 the sale of the Memorial Stadium site (needed to finance the new stadium) was in jeopardy.[205][206]

The city is also home to Bristol Rugby,[207] formed in 1888 as Bristol Football Club by the merger of the Carlton club with rival Redland Park. Westbury Park declined the merger and folded, with many of its players joining Bristol.

Motor racing has deep roots in Bristol, and Joe Fry has set a number of records in the Freikaiserwagen and events in the city. Speed trials have been held in Clapton-in-Gordano, Shipham, Backwell, Naish, Dyrham Park, Filton Airfield and in Whitchurch (when it was Bristol's airport), and a 1983 RAC Rally stage was held at Ashton Court west of the city. A sporting trial is held in woodland on the city's outskirts, and a classic trial is held in the hills around the city.

The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, a major UK hot-air ballooning event, is held each summer at Ashton Court.[210] The festival attracts crowds for the early-morning lift, at about 6.30 am. A second mass ascent is made in the early evening, again taking advantage of lower wind speeds. From 1974 to 2007, the estate also hosted the Ashton Court Festival each summer.

A mountain biking area is around Ashton Court, with the Timberland trails the main route. Other routes are in the Plantation, the 50-acre wood and Leigh Woods.[211]

A dialect of English, known as Bristolian, Bristolese, Bristle or Brizzle (after the publication of Derek Robson's "Krek Waiters peak Bristle") is spoken by longtime residents. Bristol natives have a rhotic accent, in which the post-vocalic r in "car" and "card" is pronounced (unlike Received Pronunciation). The unique feature of this accent is the "Bristol (or terminal) l", in which l is appended to words ending in a or o.[220] Whether this is a broad l or a w is a subject of debate,[221] with "area" pronounced "areal" or "areaw". The ending of "Bristol" is another example of the Bristol l. Bristolians pronounce -a and -o at the end of a word as -aw (cinemaw). To non-natives, the pronunciation suggests an l after the vowel.[222][223]

Other Bristolian linguistic features are an additional "to" in questions relating to direction or orientation, or using "to" instead of "at" (features also common to coastal South Wales), probably reflecting the use of tu in Welsh: Y mae efe tu maes ("he it is outside"; lit. "that is he to outside") and using the masculine pronouns "he" and "him" instead of "it".[224] "Where is it?" would be phrased "Where's he to?" and "Where's that ... " as "Where's that to ... ", a structure exported to Newfoundland English.[225]

Until recently Bristolese was characterised by retention of the second-person singular, as in the doggerel "Cassn't see what bist looking at? Cassn't see as well as couldst, casst? And if couldst, 'ouldn't, 'ouldst?" The West Saxon bist is used for the English "art",[226] and children were admonished with "Thee and thou, the Welshman's cow". As in French and German, in Bristolese the second-person singular was not used to a superior (except by the egalitarian Quakers). The pronoun "thee" is also used in the subject position ("What bist thee doing?"), and "I" or "he" in the object position ("Give he to I.").[227] Linguist Stanley Ellis, who found that many dialect words in the Filton area were linked to aerospace work, described Bristolese as "a cranky, crazy, crab-apple tree of language and with the sharpest, juiciest flavour that I've heard for a long time".[228]

In the 2011 United Kingdom census, 46.8% of Bristol's population identified as Christian and 37.4% said they were not religious; the English averages are 59.4% and 24.7%, respectively. Islam is observed by 5.1% of the population, Buddhism by 0.6%, Hinduism by 0.6%, Sikhism by 0.5%, Judaism by 0.2% and other religions 0.7%; 8.1% did not identify with a religion.[229]

The city has produced a number of scientists, including 19th century chemist Humphry Davy[247] (who worked in Hotwells). Physicist Paul Dirac (from Bishopston) received the 1933 Nobel Prize for his contributions to quantum mechanics.[248]Cecil Frank Powell was the Melvill Wills Professor of Physics at the University of Bristol when he received the 1950 Nobel Prize for, among other discoveries, his photographic method of studying nuclear processes. Colin Pillinger[249] was the planetary scientist behind the Beagle 2 project, and neuropsychologist Richard Gregory founded the Exploratory (a hands-on science centre which was the predecessor of At-Bristol).[250]

Initiatives such as the Flying Start Challenge encourage an interest in science and engineering in Bristol secondary-school pupils; links with aerospace companies impart technical information and advance student understanding of design.[251] The Bloodhound SSC project to break the land speed record is based at the Bloodhound Technology Centre on the city's harbourside.[252]

The M4 motorway connects the city on an east-west axis from London to West Wales, and the M5 is a north–southwest axis from Birmingham to Exeter. The M49 motorway is a shortcut between the M5 in the south and the M4 Severn Crossing in the west, and the M32 is a spur from the M4 to the city centre.[253]

The runway, terminal and other facilities at Bristol Airport (BRS), Lulsgate, has been upgraded since 2001.[253] Public transport in the city consists primarily of a FirstGroup (formerly the Bristol Omnibus Company) bus network. Other providers are Abus,[254] Wessex and Wessex Star, operated by Wessex for the two universities.[255][256] Bristol's bus service has been criticised as unreliable and expensive, and in 2005 FirstGroup was fined for delays and safety violations.[257][258]

Private car use is high in the city, leading to traffic congestion costing an estimated £350 million per year.[259] Bristol is motorcycle-friendly, allowing motorcycles to use most of the city's bus lanes and providing secure, free parking.[260] Although the city council has included a light rail system in its local transport plan since 2000, it has not yet funded the project; Bristol was offered European Union funding for the system, but the Department for Transport did not provide the required additional funding.[261] Several road-construction plans, including re-routing and improving the South Bristol Ring Road, are supported by the city council.[262] Three park and ride sites serve Bristol.[263] The city centre has water transport operated by Bristol Ferry Boats, Bristol Packet Boat Trips and Number Seven Boat Trips, providing leisure and commuter service in the harbour.[264]

Bristol was designated as England's first "cycling city" in 2008[267] and is home to Sustrans, the sustainable transport charity. The city has a number of urban cycle routes and links with National Cycle Network routes to Bath, London, Gloucester, Wales and South West England. Cycling has increased in popularity, with a 21% increase in trips from 2001 to 2005.[259]